Kids returned to school this week and the Williams Police Department (WPD) is out in force to keep drivers from speeding in school zones.

The department, in conjunction with the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, announced the award of a Traffic Safety Grant dedicated to Traffic Safety use. The grant is designed to enhance local 2015 Traffic Safety projects and has been dedicated to the Back To School Zone Enforcement Detail and DUI enforcement.

The department received $3,500 for DUI enhancement patrols and $1,750 for school zone enforcement.

“This is the time of year we put extra patrols out in the school zones,” said Williams Police Chief Herman Nixon. “We will have saturation patrols at the elementary-middle school, high school and the charter school on Rodeo Road.”

WPD will strictly enforce the school zones for speed and other violations. The department has received the grant several years in a row and uses it to cover overtime shifts for extra school patrols.

“We don’t mess around with school zones,” Nixon said. “You speed in a school zone and you’re getting a citation. There’s no officer discretion.”